Equipment and Infrastructure support for the PICO/PICASSO Dark Matter Search Project

为 PICO/PICASSO 暗物质搜索项目提供设备和基础设施支持

• 批准号: SAPEQ-2014-00020
• 负责人: Zacek, Viktor
• 金额: $ 1.31万
• 依托单位: Université de Montréal
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Subatomic Physics Envelope - Research Tools and Instruments
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2014-01-01 至 2015-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=567998
• 关键词: Equipment; Infrastructure; support; PICO; PICASSO

The quest for the mysterious missing mass of the Universe has become one of the big challenges for today's particle physics and cosmology. Astronomical observations show that only 1% of the matter of the Universe is luminous and there is now convincing evidence that 85% of all gravitationally traceable matter in the Universe is of a new exotic kind, different from the "ordinary" matter surrounding us with its protons, neutrons and electrons. This so-called Cold Dark Matter (CDM) is thought to consist of so-called WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles), neutral particles, about ten to thousand times heavier than a proton and which interact extremely weakly with each other and ordinary matter. The PICASSO* dark matter experiment is tuned to the search for WIMPs. It is based on liquid-to-vapour phase transitions which can be induced by WIMP interactions with nuclei in metastable superheated droplets. The powerful background discrimination features of the superheated liquid technique discovered by PICASSO promise “background blind” operation for up to tonne - year exposures. Therefore in December 2012 the two leading groups in the field of dark matter searches with superheated liquids, PICASSO and COUPP joint forces within the new PICO collaboration to work together towards a 500 kg dark matter experiment at SNOLAB. With superheated C4F10 or C3F8 as the active target in a 250L bubble chamber this experiment meets the definition of a next generation dark matter experiment (G2) and no other G2 experiment would have comparable sensitivities in the sectors of spin-dependent interactions and light WIMP masses. The Canadian PICASSO / PICO contingent consists of research groups of five institutions: University of Alberta, Laurentian University, Université de Montréal, Queen’s University and University of Toronto. In this grant request we ask for infrastructure and equipment support for the completion of a serious of R&D projects which are part of the preparatory phase of the 500 kg detector. *Project In Canada to Search for Supersymmetric Objects Projet d'Identification de CAnditats Supersymetriques Sombres

寻找宇宙中神秘的失踪质量已经成为当今粒子物理学和宇宙学的重大挑战之一。天文观测表明，宇宙中只有1%的物质是发光的，现在有令人信服的证据表明，宇宙中85%的引力可追踪物质是一种新的奇异物质，不同于我们周围的质子，中子和电子的“普通”物质。这种所谓的冷暗物质（CDM）被认为是由所谓的WIMP（弱相互作用大质量粒子），中性粒子组成，比质子重10到1000倍，彼此之间和普通物质之间的相互作用非常弱。 PICASSO* 暗物质实验被调整为寻找WIMP。它是基于液体到蒸汽的相变，这可以引起的WIMP与亚稳态过热液滴中的核相互作用。由毕加索发现的过热液体技术的强大的背景鉴别特征保证了对高达吨年暴露的“背景盲”操作。因此，在2012年12月，两个在暗物质领域使用过热液体搜索的领先团队，PICASSO和COUPP在新的皮科合作中联合起来，共同致力于在SNOLAB进行500公斤的暗物质实验。在250 L气泡室中使用过热的C4 F10或C3 F8作为活性靶，该实验符合下一代暗物质实验（G2）的定义，并且没有其他G2实验在自旋相关相互作用和轻WIMP质量方面具有可比的灵敏度。 加拿大PICASSO /皮科小组由五个机构的研究小组组成：阿尔伯塔大学、劳伦蒂安大学、蒙特利尔大学、女王大学和多伦多大学。在这份赠款申请中，我们要求为完成一系列研发项目提供基础设施和设备支持，这些项目是500公斤探测器准备阶段的一部分。*Project In Canada to Search for Supersymmetric Objects加拿大搜寻超对称天体项目